Key Mission 3: Border integrity, including people smuggling - Counter

We achieved this objective by improving our prioritisation and assessment of lead information and referrals, by providing robust visa security assessments and security access assessments, and by giving actionable advice to external partners, including Home Affairs, DFAT and the AFP, as follows.

• We identified and mitigated national security risks by referencing our data holdings and producing security assessment of visa applicants referred to us by Home Affairs and DFAT. We also collaborated with stakeholders to enhance Australia’s visa-screening processes and, in turn, to identify security issues and provide security advice to inform responses.

• We issued a number of adverse and qualified assessments, informing stakeholders’ decision-making on the issuing or cancelling of visas, or the refusal of citizenship, to mitigate a range of national security risks.
• We assisted whole-of-government responses to threats to Australia’s border integrity, providing a number of security assessments on whether Australian visa holders posed a security risk, including in relation to activities associated with people smuggling.

We met service-level agreements with key stakeholders in producing these assessments. We worked closely with partners to find efficiencies which, combined with the impacts of COVID-19, resulted in a decreased number of referrals for assessment during March, April and May 2020.

Key stakeholders expressed their appreciation for our collaborative approach, and acknowledged our responsiveness and level of engagement, as well as the quality and relevance of our advice.